Folding implement.



W. G. McGREGOR. FOLDING IMPLEMENT. APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. 1911.

Patnted Feb. 4, 1919.

as nam'us mm Pudm-uruo. WW A L WILLIAM G. MCGREGOR, 0F HAVERHILL, MASSACHUSETTS.

V r FOLDING IMPLEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

Application filed Apri19, 1917. Serial No. 160,629. I

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. MGGREGOR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Haverhill, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Folding Implements, of which the following is a specification. V

The operation of folding in the edges of shoe uppers is performed by hand and machine, and when, performed by hand, the edge is folded in with the fingers and pounded down with a small hammer. Before the folding operation is performed, the skived flesh side is coated with rubber cement so that, generally, when the fold 'is pressed down with the fingers, it adheres sufliciently to enable the pounding operation to be performed. In folding the edge-portion about sharply curved, or corner portions, by hand, difliculty is encountered in causing the turned-in edge portion fold to adhere and also in crimping the foldfsufliciently to secure a uniform edge and to en-. able it to be pounded down flat.

To do this portion of the work satisfactorily, it is customary to crimp the turned-in fold, and press it down firmly at diflerent points, with a brad-awl,.or like tool, having a chisel edge. Aspractically all of these upper piecesr equire the use of such tools in folding certain portions thereof, it is customary. for operators to holdthe awl and hammer in one hand at the same time, for, While this is inconvenient, on account of the fact that one tool interferes with the efficient use of the other, it does not cause the delay which is incident to laying down one tool and picking up another. Further difliculty is encountered in causing the folded-in edge, at sharp corners, to, adhere, even when pressed down with the awl, as" the resilience of the leather tends to cause itto lift up at the edge to such an extent that the adhesion is frequently broken before the'fold can be hammered down, so that considerable delay is thereby occasioned through the necessity of pressing the fold down and crimping it with the awl sufliciently to make it adhere until the hammer can be used. The object of my invention is to combine an ordinary folding hammer and a brad-awl in one implement,'so that either hammer or the awl may be used separately, as conveniently as if the otherwere not present, and so that they may also be used conjunctively, insuch a manner that the difliculty in causing the fold to adhere at the corners, sufficiently to enable the use of the hammer, is avoided and at the same time, the facility with which the work may be performed may be increased.

I accomplish this object by so arranging a reciprocally movable awl in the hammer that it may be projected-beyond the hammer face, to permit it to be used independently of, or conjunctively with the hammer, or to be retracted, so that the device may be used for the ordinary purposes of a hammer.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an implement embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the working face thereof.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating its manner of use.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of an awl locking device which I may employ.

As shown in the drawing, I provide a form of hammer which is substantially identical to the form commonly used for hand folding, and comprises a head a and a handle Z), said head being nearly square in cross section, and having flanges a, a at its ends which, project so as to increase the area of the hammer faces. I

According to my invention, I provide an awl c, which is reciprocally mounted in apertures" formed through corresponding corner portions of the flanges a, a the particular corner portions in which it is placed being preferably either of the corners opposite the side at which the handle enters the head, and the awl being located, for a person who holds the hammer in the right hand, in the corners at the left, and for one who holds it in the left hand, in the corners at the right. The end-portion of the awl 0,

which is located adjacent the face flange a, i

of the head will be permitted, while, by the sliding engagement of the face 6', with the face a rotation of the awl in the head will be revented.

spring 9 is provided on the awl between the face flange a and the collar 6, and normally acts to hold the collar against the top flange a said collar being so adjusted longitudinally of the awl, that, When it is held against said flange 0, the pointed end a of the awl will be held approximately flush with the hammer face, or so that it does not project therebeyond, as shown in Fig. 1.

The above described device may be thus used precisely the same as any ordinary hammer, as the awl is normally held in its withdrawn position, and is so used on the straighter portions of the edges which are to be folded. When, however, it becomes necessary to employ a sharp implement for working-in, crimping and pressing down the fold at the corners, or curved portions of the work, the operator then presses the thumb of the hand, in which the hammer is held, down on the head cl, so that the chisel shaped end of the awl protrudes a short distance beyond the hammer face, as shown in Fig. 4, thereby enabling it then to be used in the same manner as that in which an awl is ordinarily used, 2'. 0., the fold is bent over and pressed down by the awl, in the usual manner, and a series of indentations are, at the same time, formed therein, which extend radially of the curve of the edge, so that the excess leather is taken up, or crimped. As the fold is pressed down by the awl, its action is followed up by the hammer, z. 0., while the operator presses the awl point down on the fold with the thumb to hold the fold in place, the hammer is permitted to slide down on the awl so that its face is pressed against the fold, thereby forcing the latter down flat onto the cemented surface and causing it to adhere in the desired position. as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. This operation is continued until a substantial portion of the fold has been pressed down, then the thumb is removed from the awl, so that the spring is permitted to lift the awl above the hammer face and then the folding operation is finished by striking the folded portion a few blows with the hammer, the entire operation thus being performed without changing the position of the hand on the handle.

It is not only desirable that the awl be held against rotation, to enable the operator the better to turn over, press down and form indentations in the fold, but it is practi'cally necessary that the chisel-edgethereon be positively held at a certain angle to the hammer handle, the slightly oblique position to the handle, shown in the drawing being the position generally desired. While it is notessential to the invention that the awl be located in the hammer in the particular positions specified, these positions are much more convenient for the operator than any other, so far as I am aware.

Under some conditions it is also desirable that the awl be used alone or not in conjunction with the hammer. For example,

. the operator will sometimes pound down the fold in such way that the work must be done over again, that is, the fold must be picked up so that it maybe refolded. It is diflicult to do this with the fingers, and it is usually done with the awl. To enable such work to be conveniently performed with the above described device, I provide a means for looking the awl in a position of use. As shown in Fig. 5, the specific means which I employ for this purpose, and which I consider preferable, comprises an angular shaped dogjh, which is mounted on a pivot z, securedin the collar 6, the latter being sljotted in its under and inner sides to receive said dog. One arm of said dog extends upward from said pivot and is formed to provide a tooth or pawl 71., and the other arm projects horizontally, beyond the front side of the collar, and then downwardly, to form a thumb piece 72?. A spring 3' is interposed between the collar and said tooth, to hold the latter against the side face w, of the hammer head, and a notch a is formed in said face in position to receive said tooth, when the awl is depressed to a sufficient extent, and to provide a shoulder with which the tooth engages, to prevent return movement of the awl. i

In ordinary use the awl is not depressed far enough to cause the dog to engage the shoulder formed in notch a, but, when dcpressed to its fullest extent, it will engage the same and lock the awl against opposite movement. The awl may be readily unlocked by merely pressing inward on the handle k causing the tooth h to be thrown back and disengaged from the shoulder.

When in locked position the awl mav be pressed against the work with as much force as desired, without its being necessary to press down on the head d thereof, and, while the locking feature is especially advantageously employed when it is necessary to pick up the fold, it is also sometimes desirable to lock the awl when it is to be used to crimp and press down the fold, particularly when the pressure of the awl is sufficient tocause the fold to adhere, and it is not necessary to follow up its action with the hammer at once. 7

It will be apparent that, with the above described implement, the operation of hand folding may be more rapidly and satisfactorily performed than with the hammer and aWl when employed as separate implements.

I claim:

A. fol ng mplem n consisting of a hammer having an indenting tool mounted in the hammer head and movable therein between operative positions, in which it extends beyond the hammer face, and an inoperative position, in which its work-engaging end is held approximately flush with said face, and means for automatically holding the tool in its inoperative position.

2. A folding implement consisting of a hammer having an elongated work-indenting tool mounted to slide longitudinally in the hammer head transversely of the hammer face and arranged to be manually moved thereinfrom an inoperative position, in which its Work-engaging end is held within said face, to an operative position, in which it is extended a substantial distance beyond said face.

3. A folding implement consisting of a hammer having a pointed rod slidably mounted in the hammer head transversely of the hammer face, and manually movable to extend its pointed end-portion beyond said face into an operative position and means for yieldingly supporting said rod in an inoperative position with relation to said face.

4:. A folding implement consisting of a hammer having a rod provided with a chiselshaped end, and mounted to move longitudinally in the hammer head to carry said end through and beyond the hammer face, means to hold said rod against rotational movement in the head, and a spring arranged to hold said end of said rod from protruding beyond said face.

5. A folding implement consisting of a hammer having a rod provided with a chiselshaped end and mounted to move longitudinally in the hammer head to carry said end through andbeyond the hammer face,

means to hold said rod against rotational movement in the head, and arranged to permit rotational adjustment of the rod and hold said end in different angular positions with relation to the hammer, and means to sustain said rod in a position in which its gaid end is held from protruding beyond said ace.

6. A folding implement consisting of a hammer having a tool shank of greater length than the hammer head and reciprocally mounted therein longitudinally thereof, 'in position to be moved through the hammer face, said shank having a pointed end adjacent said face and a handle at its opposite end, and means including a spring arranged normally to support said shank with its pointed end-portion within the head.

7. A, folding implement consisting of a hammer, having an indenting tool mounted in the hammer head and movable between an operative position in which it extends beyond the hammer face and an inoperative position in which its work-engaging end is withdrawn with relation thereto, and means to lock said tool in an operative position.

8. A folding implement consisting of a hammer, having an indenting tool mounted in the hammer head and movable between an operative position in which it extends beyond the hammer face and an inoperative position in which its work-engaging end is withdrawn with relation thereto, means to lock said tool in an operative position, and means to return the tool to an inoperative position automatically, when unlocked.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM G. MGGREGOR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. 0." 

